Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis March 2014
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Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis Building a JOURNAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR global network POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND TERRORISM RESEARCH for security VOLUME 6, ISSUE 2 MARCH 2014 Understanding Radicalization and Terrorist Violence Today DOUGLAS R. WOODALL “Digital Jihad” and its Significance to Counterterrorism MUHAMMAD AHSAN YOUNAS Takfir in Indonesia: Analysing the Ideology of Saiful Anam ZULKIFLI MOHAMED SULTAN Wasatiyyah as Explained by Prof. Muhammad Kamal Hassan: Justice, Excellence and Balance MUHAMMAD HANIFF HASSAN The Teacher-Student Approach to Religious Rehabilitation MAHFUH HAJI HALIMI MUHAMMAD SAIFUL ALAM SHAH BIN SUDIMAN ZULKIFLI MOHAMED SULTAN Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis Volume 6, Issue 2 March 2014 1 Editorial Note Radicalization, Deradicalization and Rehabilitation e are pleased to present the counterterrorism research community with the March 2014 issue of Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis (CTTA), available at www.cttajournal.org and www.pvtr.org. W This month’s issue of CTTA includes five articles on timely topics related to radicalization, deradicalization, rehabilitation and counter-ideology. Radicalization, in the context of extremism and terrorism, occurs when groups or individuals are conditioned through radical ideologies to accept the use of violence to bring about political or social changes. Deradicalization, which promotes restorative justice by seeking to remove violent ideologies from the minds of radicalized individuals through structured programs, and the broader concept of terrorist rehabilitation, which includes community engagement initiatives and reforms in national legislation, are strategic or long term measures of counterterrorism. Counter-ideology supports deradicalization, and works to prevent radicalization of individuals by invalidating radical ideology through exposing its contradiction to established religious principles (or historical facts). Factors leading to radicalization are diverse, as is the case with radical pathways. Douglas Woodall offers an analysis of alternative factors which lead to radicalization, namely, negative impressions made by Americans living abroad, alternative social spaces including tertiary academic spaces and miscalculated targeting approaches against a terrorist network. With case studies, Woodall offers a way forward in developing US counterterrorism strategy in this regard. Muhammad Younas reemphasises the impact of the jihadists’ online presence as a source of radicalization, and the need for continued online monitoring of online forums and social media and network websites to counter the threat. The crux of Younas’ piece is the discussion on the debate involving the rights and liberties of individuals which are seen to be compromised through online monitoring, and the need for checks and balances in this regard, which Younas proposes through a broad international consensus that is needed to counter the threat from online jihadist media. Zulkifli Mohamed Sultan counters the extremist Islamist ideology propagated by Saiful Anam, one of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)’s high-ranking militants. Sultan breaks down Saiful Anam’s radical ideology to expose the contradictions in Saiful Anam’s narrative particularly in the use of the concept of takfir, or the practice of one Muslim declaring another Muslim a kafir or “infidel.” Emphasizing the need for moderation, Muhammad Haniff Hassan offers an elaborate discussion about wasatiyyah, which is commonly translated only as “moderation,” but in actuality also includes other core Islamic values such as “justice” and “excellence,” among others. Mahfuh Haji Halimi, Muhammad Saiful Alam Shah Bin Sudiman, and Zulkifli Mohamed Sultan highlight the “teacher-student” approach from the education discipline to help understand the dynamics of religious counselling sessions in terrorist rehabilitation programs. The authors find that concepts such as “functioning knowledge” and the “deep approach to learning” can lead to a transformation in cognitive thinking in radicalized individuals, which in turn could lead to their disengagement from radical thoughts and actions. Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis is a monthly journal of the Editor Arabinda Acharya, Ph.D. International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research Associate Editor Iromi Dharmawardhane (ICPVTR) of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. The CTTA is circulated among 13,300 subscribers. The CTTA Editorial Team welcomes your feedback and comments. Please email us at [email protected] Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis Volume 6, Issue 2 March 2014 The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not of ICPVTR, RSIS, NTU or the organizations to which the authors are affiliated. Articles may not be reproduced without prior permission. Please contact the editors for more information. 2 Submissions and Subscriptions Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis Each issue of Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis (CTTA) consists of in- depth analyses of topical issues in the terrorism and counterterrorism (CT) landscape. Through contributions from international and regional experts and practitioners of CT as well as ICPVTR’s specialized analysts and fellows, the CTTA offers key insights into issues of terrorism and extremism unfolding in affected countries and regions, as well as developments in contemporary counterterrorism strategy in mitigating them. CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis (CTTA) welcomes contributions from researchers and practitioners in the field of political violence and terrorism research, security and other related fields. For more information please visit www.cttajournal.org/submissions, or to pitch an idea for a particular issue in 2014, please write to us at [email protected]. For inclusion in the CTTA mailing list, please send your full name, organization and designation with the subject “CTTA Subscription” to [email protected] Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis Volume 6, Issue 2 March 2014 3 Understanding Radicalization and Terrorist Violence Today Douglas R. Woodall Going beyond the mainstream thinking, the negative images of Americans living abroad, alternative social spaces fostering radicalization and using the wrong targeting approach against a terrorist network could be considered important catalysts leading to radicalization and terrorist violence. In the first six months of 2013, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) documented 5,100 terrorist attacks across the globe. This was a substantial increase compared to 8,500 terrorist attacks for the whole of 2012, and the wave of violence has shown few signs of ebbing in the second half of 2013. Though there are no dearth of efforts to understand the fundamental beliefs and perceptions that motivate terrorists to carry out attacks, this has done little to stem the scale or scope of violence perpetrated. Underlying these attacks are fundamental beliefs and perceptions that fuel terrorists’ will to fight. Closer examination of long-term strategic objectives will help to achieve the elusive strategic outcome of winning the contest of wills. Gaining a better understanding of key factors fuelling the adversary’s will to fight is the first step. Some of the important factors contributing to radicalization and extremist violence today are discussed in the following section. Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis Volume 6, Issue 2 March 2014 4 Understanding Radicalization and Terrorist Violence Today Americans Abroad Americans. The segregation of the expatriate It is already well-established that America’s image communities and the local population in Saudi overseas has contributed, in part, to the motivation Arabia fuels jihadists’ perceptions that amoral or of some extremist and terrorist groups. However, corrupt lifestyles are followed by the expatriates. what receives much less attention is the role This may encourage thoughts that the existence of played by Americans living and serving overseas Westerners is corrupting members of the host in exacerbating the negative portrayal of the US. Americans based abroad are not limited to interacting with local populations in government or military capacities, and therefore have the ability to influence foreigners’ perceptions of America in other countries. A significant numbers of Americans live abroad, and more importantly, are engaged in activities that impact not only the politics of the concerned countries but also the social and cultural aspects of the host society. In this context, Figure 1 - Afghan witnesses testify at Staff Sergeant Bales’ trial Image by AP /Lois Silve ; the impact of their activities, whether as an Image source: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/military/2013/05/29/jblms-staff-sgt- robert-bales-to-plead-guilty-to-killing-afghan-civilians/ individual or as a group, may have consequences that cannot be ignored. In some nation. The attacks resulted in the killing of 36 cases, their perceived extravagant lifestyles fuel people and wounding a further 160. further misconceptions of what America represents. The massacre of 16 Afghan civilians by American Staff Sergeant Robert Bales fanned the flames of American actions and attitudes abroad are also extremism and created a damaging public image something that jihadists attempt to exploit, as was of American Soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Even evident from the attack against expatriate though Staff